Flying

Maybe you'd like to fly a wheelchair-bound relative to a family function. Or perhaps a member of your management team has contracted a bad case of the flu during a business trip. Flights with passengers like these-or anyone with a significant health issue-necessitate special planning.

Customer expectations are the driving force in any aircraft interior design, and it seems the bigger the airplane, the greater the expectations. And there's no shortage of designers who can think as big as necessary.

To determine the best fractional investment, the first thing you have to do is consider your travel profile--including where you fly, how long your trips are, how many passengers you carry, how much luggage you take, what aircraft you prefer and, of course, how much you are willing to spend. Analyzing this information, you can often come up with a single, best solution.

What Americans call "landing gear," the British call "undercarriage," which really is much more logical. That's because an airplane uses its wheels not just to land but also to take off, taxi and sit around in the hangar. Whatever you call it, the part of the aircraft that allows it to move around on the ground has several distinguishing characteristics.

When you buy a seat on a commercial flight, the choice of airline can matter less than the departure and arrival times. But when you book a charter flight, picking the operator is the most important decision you can make. The wrong choice can cost you lots of time and money, or even create safety risks.

Just a few years ago, customers had fewer options in outfitting their aircraft. But the consumerization of business aviation and technological innovations have resulted in a huge range of choices in furnishings and entertainment and communication equipment.

Have you ever looked around a corporate jet and wished you had more room? Room perhaps to transport not only your closest advisers but also dozens of staff members, in a space the size of a large home? That's what private customers for Airbus' mammoth A380 will have.